‘Lioness’ Season 2 Just Dropped a New Lioness
This story contains spoilers for Lioness season 2.
Taylor Sheridan drove Lioness’s season 2 opener at full throttle. What was a simple kidnapping plot is now concerned with preventing a global war with China. Oh! Then a secret mission over the border resulted in a dozen dead cops. The Lioness team is in quite a predicament as we head into episode 2, even though I have a sinking feeling that the craziest development is yet to come.
Here’s what’s happened so far. A Texas congresswoman was kidnapped and taken across the border. Some random cartel from Mexico pulled off the crime, killing her husband and children as well. Joe (Zoe Saldaña) is ordered to rescue her and kill the men responsible after a meeting with Secretary of State Edwin Mullins (Morgan Freeman), CIA Deputy Director Byron Westfield (Michael Kelly), and CIA official Kaitlyn Meade (Nicole Kidman). Together they decide that the kidnapping is likely just the first domino to fall in a massively complicated series of political events that will lead to China invading Taiwan. How?! Apparently China is Mexico’s number-one trade partner in black-market crude oil. Duh!
At the end of the premiere, Joe promises the congresswoman that the U.S. government is now on the offensive. “My agency doesn’t do courtrooms,” she says. But it’s tough to guess exactly where that effort will go next. Didn’t this secret mission just fail completely? In that meeting with Morgan Freeman, Westfield told us why the kidnapping happened—so the U.S. would cross the border and cause an international kerfuffle. Was killing Mexican police in broad daylight not even worse? Joe’s team acted like their save file would just erase if they could make it across the border. Out of Mexico, out of mind, I guess. I’m sure Sheridan will write himself a cool one-liner to explain it all.
We begin this episode with Kaitlyn and Joe meeting with the U.S. Army. There’s a lot of animosity in the room. Throughout the series, the two hold utter contempt for any officer below them. Joe’s also angry because the army suggests some new candidates for the Lioness program—which is her operation. “I choose the asset, I choose the cover, I build the fucking plan, and I run it!” she yells. “Me!” So Kaitlyn gives Joe three days to find her next Lioness. “Everyone’s watching on this one,” she tells her. Everyone’s watching our secret plan? That’s not good.
Joe returns home and finds her daughter running a lemonade stand. She’s also selling her drawings, which some random couple buys in bulk. They ask her daughter to help them hang the drawings up in their van—and, yeah, alarms blare in Joe’s head. Joe races toward the vehicle with her gun drawn, but she finds that the couple are completely harmless. To her surprise, they’re actually hanging up the drawings. The scary music tricked me! Poor Joe just can’t catch a break.
Joe’s older daughter mentions that she saw her on television rescuing the congresswoman. Then she asks a question I brought up during just about every episode last season: “Why, out of all the jobs in the world, did you pick this one?” Season 1 convinced the audience that Joe’s only choice in life was to dedicate herself to an eternity cosplaying as James Bond without any of the fun that comes with being James Bond. Without the Lioness program, or the CIA in general, the world would fall into chaos. Or, as Joe describes it, America would cease to exist.
Her grandfather immigrated to the United States and joined the Army just three days after Pearl Harbor, telling her father at the time, “I just learned to speak English; I’m not about to learn German or Japanese.” Joe’s the same as her grandfather. “Why do I do it? So you don’t have to learn Russian or Chinese.” Essentially: This is the home we have, and I’ll protect it no matter what. It fits in perfectly with Sheridan’s politics. Much like Yellowstone, we fight for what we build more than where we built it. But it certainly helps if that home looks like Yellowstone.
Next, Joe’s husband puts us back on track. He reminds her that “gunfights on the border end up on the evening news.” So she reunites with her team. Yup, that means Taylor Sheridan is back. He drops off Kyle (Thad Luckinbill), the idiot muscle man who ruins any operation they run across the border. Sadly, Sheridan leaves immediately to “shoot some pirates from an oil tanker.” As much as I want that spin-off series, it’s time to sort out a game plan.
Kyle reminds the gang that this is all happening because China is Mexico’s largest exporter of open-market oil. There’s no evidence of Chinese involvement just yet, but I remain certain that Sheridan will figure it out. First, Joe’s team must make contact with the leader of the Los Tigres Cartel, Alvaro Carrillo. Alvaro’s brother, Pablo, is an immigration attorney in Dallas. His niece, Josephina (Genesis Rodriguez), is a helicopter pilot and an Army captain who did four tours in Afghanistan. Kyle suggests that they make Josephina their next Lioness.
Now, if you recall from just 20 minutes ago, Joe hates it when other people suggest Lionesses for her. She also really dislikes Kyle. But she’s considering this plan without screaming. Josephina already has an in as a member of the Carrillo family. The cartel is also not our main target. Joe still believes that a Chinese agent is hiding in Mexico and that the Carrillos are working with them. That mystery person is our true target. I’m not quite sure what killing him does, but that’s the plan. “And you thought World War III started in Eastern Europe?” one of Joe’s team members jokes. “No, no, no, everyone. It’s Mexico.”
Josephina is currently on duty in Iraq. So if the gang wants her for the Lioness program, they’ll have to find a way to have her publicly and dishonourably discharged. That shouldn’t prove too difficult. In another meeting with Secretary of State Morgan Freeman, Westfield informs the council that Josephina has racked up 822 confirmed kills. Sir, she’s the most decorated ranked player on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. She has all the legendary skins.
The CIA plan to use Josephina as a Trojan horse. She can fly Joe’s team in undercover so that they can pull off the hit once she gets them inside. The whole operation just needs to occur on Mexican soil, because anything on the U.S. side is national news. According to Lioness logic, national news of U.S.-sanctioned violence in Mexico is a “declaration of war” that angers NATO and allows China to invade Taiwan. Forget the fact that her team’s operation last episode made the news. It only counts if it happens in America.
But why would Josephina agree to this plan? As far as I can tell, there’s little reason for the U.S. to involve itself in anything across the border if it threatens World War III. But Morgan Freeman may help clear this up for us. “It’s easy to forget why we’re having this conversation,” he states. Her reminds us that a congresswoman was kidnapped on Americans soil “at the behest of the Chinese Ministry of State.” Again, that has yet to be proven, but they must have some evidence that we haven’t seen yet. “Do it,” he orders. “Do not get yourself caught.”
So Joe’s team heads to Iraq. Her car is hit with a mine on the road like Tony Stark’s did in Iron Man, but she’s not about to make herself a giant metal super suit. I wouldn’t hate it, but that’s not Lioness. Help shows up in the form of an assault helicopter, piloted by Josephina. She exits the aircraft and yells at Joe because three U.S. soldiers died. Joe simply continues her tirade against any officer ranked lower than her. “I’m the highest-ranking officer anywhere I fucking go!” she screams. “And this base better fucking start acting like it!”
Later, Joe meets with Josephina again. She asks her repeatedly if she loves her country, but the Army captain refuses to respond with a direct yes or no. “I’ve met plenty of women who went into the program,” Josephina says. “Do you know what I’ve never met? I’ve never met a woman who came out.” I quite like this depiction of Joe as the Grim Reaper in Lioness. Making a contract with her is like signing an agreement with the devil. You exchange your soul to “save the country,” even if you’re never recognized for your actions.
But Joe continues the verbal assault, continuing to question if Josephina loves her country. It’s an interesting parallel to the conversation Joe shares with her daughter at the beginning of the episode. I had read her grandfather’s words as the need to protect your home more than the fact that it was America. He had just arrived in the country, after all. It sounded like he was just tired of running. It’s a strange ending. Once Josephina swears “Yes,” we officially have our next Lioness.
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